The present invention relates to devices for transporting relatively heavy pieces of equipment upon vehicles, and specifically relates to a detachable carrier for the transport of turf maintenance equipment by a dump-style self-propelled turf maintenance vehicle.
Various configurations of lightweight, compact, self-propelled maintenance vehicles are popular for use in the maintenance of large turf areas, such as golf courses and parks. Such vehicles are normally provided with a rear cargo box used to retain equipment and supplies, such as soil, seed, tools, etc., for transport from one area of the facility to another, and may be further provided with attachments which enable the vehicle to perform other tasks such as spraying, mulching, core harvesting, etc. In some cases, the cargo box may be elevated at a forward end to allow the dumping of its contents One such vehicle is sold by the Outboard Marine Corporation, Waukegan, Ill., under its TURF TRUCKSTER trademark.
It has heretofore been cumbersome, inconvenient and even hazardous to attempt to use these compact turf maintenance vehicles for the transport of heavier, walk-behind turf maintenance equipment such as mowers, power rakes, etc. Due to its weight and size, this type of equipment is cumbersome to load into the box of the vehicle. Conventional apparatus used to accomplish the loading of such walk-behind equipment includes the use of separate loading ramps, the unfolding of the vehicle tailgate to act as a loading ramp, or the manual lifting of the equipment into the dump box. The loading and unloading of such heavy equipment in this manner is time consuming and creates a great potential for injury to maintenance personnel. Also, the use of trailers in such situations is impractical due to cost considerations.
Thus, there is a need for a carrier apparatus which may be releasably secured to a lightweight turf maintenance vehicle and which enables the vehicle to transport relatively heavy turf maintenance equipment. Such an apparatus should be readily removed from the vehicle so that the vehicle may be used for other tasks as described above. In addition, the carrier apparatus should be adapted so that turf equipment may be easily and safely loaded and unloaded therefrom at ground level without exertion by turf maintenance personnel. The carrier should preferably be inexpensive to manufacture and easily adaptable to a variety of maintenance vehicle configurations.